Story & Photos by Kim Eisele The Animal League of Green Valley
The Animal League of Green Valley is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, no-kill cat and dog shelter. No-kill means that there is at least a 90% live release rate. TALGV’s current live release rate is 97.7%. TALGV does not euthanize for space. TALGV only euthanizes when an animal is suffering medically or when a dog is aggressively biting.
How does TALGV manage dogs that may be a bite risk? Dogs are generally fearful in some capacity when they bite. At TALGV we designate fearful dogs as blue dot or red dot dogs. Our blue dot dogs are our “Bashful Blues,” and our red dot dogs are our “Rowdy Reds.” As their names imply, the Blues are the more shy, fearful dogs, while the Reds are the more rambunctious or aggressive dogs.
At TALGV training our dog handlers is one of our top priorities. All dog handlers must attend a basic dog training class. While some dogs are social and outgoing, others are anxious and fearful. Often, when any dog comes to TALGV all he or she needs is some basic training.
All of the dog training at TALGV is based on positive reinforcement. There is no punishment no matter what happens. In the basic class, they learn handling skills, including how to properly walk dogs on a leash, how to put on harnesses, and how to read basic dog body language. The handlers learn to ignore and/or redirect unwanted behavior and to be very patient.
Once they have gone through basic training and after they have worked with the non-dot dogs for a while, they are then eligible to attend a blue dot or red dot dog training class. These training sessions are all geared towards preventing dog bites from occurring and teaching how to encourage or train better behaviors. Our goal at TALGV is to prevent dogs from getting a bite record. It is obviously more difficult to get a dog adopted when they have a bite history.
Once handlers have completed blue dot or red dot training, they are then to practice what they learned on the non-dot dogs. After a few weeks and when the handler feels they are ready, one of the lead trainers will assess the handler. If they pass, they will be awarded their red or blue dot which is then worn on their name badge. They are now eligible to work with the blue dot or red dot dogs, depending on which dot they earned.
The key to working with the blue dot and red dot dogs is to not make eye contact with the dog, go slowly, and reward good behavior, among many other things. We teach a foundation of good behaviors to help special needs dogs flourish in the right home. It is all about building confidence in the dog and getting the dog to trust you. We teach them coping skills to help overcome fears, such as fear of cars, leashes, hands, and more.
One dog in particular was Mr. Pickles, a red dot dog. Mr. Pickles had been living alone in the desert for over a year when he came to TALGV. He would hesitantly approach a human for food, but as soon as he had the food, he would quickly run away.
We taught Mr. Pickles to trust us and to follow us around in his kennel. We taught him to not fear the leash and then taught him to walk on it. We patiently taught him how to get into a car and then enjoy car rides, especially when it meant receiving a Pup Cup from Starbucks.
We taught Mr. Pickles to trust strangers, which was imperative when a potential adopter showed interest in meeting him. His confidence had grown to the point where he was able to meet the adopter and ultimately get in the man’s vehicle.
All of Mr. Pickles’ and the trainers’ hard work paid off when Mr. Pickles was adopted and driven all the way to Wisconsin to live in his new forever home. Godspeed, Mr. Pickles!
For more information about TALGV and their adoptable pets go to www.talgv.org/
